Archive for the ‘Boonie Bug’ tag

A long time ago (in a galaxy far, far away? No, wrong movie), reader Greg Allen caught our post on the Boonie Bug and sent in some screengrabs from the classic Arnold Schwarzenegger film Total Recall guessing that the Johnnycab was based on a Boonie Bug. It wasn’t, but that post did inspire James Belohovek to get in touch with us. James did some work on the Johnny in the Johnnycab and had a chance to take plenty of pictures on set during the filming of the movie. He writes:

I worked at a make-up shop that did the Robot inside the cab. All of us at the shop only knew it as Johnnycab (not describing the whole car and everything in it). Rob Bottin of THE HOWLING, THE THING, And ALL of the make-up effects in TOTAL RECALL called me up to finish off the fiberglass chest, head, and hat of the Robot (Body shopping like a car shop using evercoat bondo). Henrey Alvarez had sculpted the chest suit and parts of the head. The head was molded off of Robert Picardo of Star Trek, The hologram medical officer. Rob loved to use his face.

Once on the job I was required to sand down, add vents(I have a chum box of parts that I pull out for detail pieces), cut the torso, add a pedestal with controls and a wide base. I normally work as a model maker and have worked on some very cool projects but this job I was a prop maker. I also got stuck having to paint him. Jim Clark (Who does the Jack-In-The-Box head for the commercials) helped me hand mix the lacquer paints for the Robot. I also had to make the hat on his head but a technician made the chaser unit.

Because I had body shopped, mixed the paints and soldered the 20 odd lights in his hat I had to go down and baby sit while they did night shots just in case he got ruffed up. During the day I was free to wander around the Studio and take pictures, I did take some shots while they were shooting at night, everyone seemed cool about it.

As we can see, Volkswagens were obviously a favorite among the car builders. So does anybody know who those car builders were?

After reading our post on the Boonie Bug a couple weeks ago, Greg Allen must’ve also wondered exactly which vehicle in Total Recall was the Boonie Bug. Unlike us, however, he had a DVD of Total Recall that he could pop into his computer and grab screenshots from. Greg seems to believe the Johnnycab was the prop that started life as a Boonie Bug.

scrubbing through the film to find what I think is the modded Boonie Box [emphasis on the modded, I'd say], I was struck by how strong the automotive aesthetic is in the film. And it’s all in passing, too. Everything’s sharp angles and wedges, like late-model Lotus Esprits, Aston Martin Bulldogs, or that one pyramid-shaped Citroen concept car on the cover of R&T that I bugged my dad to get for months [I hadn't yet grasped the concept of a concept car.] The Karin, by Trevor Fiore.

I dunno. That’s a whole heck of a lot of modifications if it is the same car. More screenshots below for you to make up your own mind.

So do you think it’s the same, or should we force Greg to watch Total Recall again and again and again to identify some other futuristic vehicle as the Boonie Bug?

I shouldn’t have mentioned the Brubaker Box yesterday. I had to go searching for a link, and in the process, I discovered several equally awesome box-type VW-based proto-mini-vans. For example, the Boonie Bug, pictured above, for which one can apparently still buy plans for $65. A modified version also allegedly had some screen time in Total Recall, though the Internet Movie Car Database doesn’t have a listing for that wonderful piece of early 1990s cinema.

Also still available in plan form is the Phoenix, with “the sleek look of a modern performance van,” “nimble handling” and no effort whatsoever to hide the fact that it’s pitching a pup tent. Ladies, the line forms to the left. (both of the above via the VCVC, where I hung out many a moon ago.)

Done yet? Not on your life. Here we have the Elite Enterprises Laser 49er, apparently designed by Harry Bradley. The gullwing doors I kinda understand. The name, not so much.

And finally, I’ve never heard of nor seen the 1976-1979 TV series Ark II until now, and that’s probably a good thing. However, Ark II did feature two vehicles for its occupants to roam the 25th century pollution-ravaged landscape with, the Ark II (left) and the Roamer (right). The Ark II was simply a dump truck with a fiberglass body (and not the same vehicle as the Damnation Alley landmaster, apparently), while the Roamer was a much-modified Brubaker Box actually built by the Brubaker Group.